Lessons Learned from Being Cheap

Being cheap has its glory moments, like the other day when I found a pair of maternity jeans for $10 and two t-shirts for $2.50 each on the Target clearance rack.  Or a few years back when I found an almost new jogging stroller for $30 at a yard sale.  Score!!  I'd be lying if I said I didn't love a good deal.  The feeling you get from finding that perfect something at a fraction of the original cost ranks right up there with eating brownies and ice cream while watching a chick flick.

Being cheap definitely has it's advantages.  Cheap people tend to have more savings, which leads to less debt, less worry over money, less stress in relationships.  Since getting married, it's taught me patience as I've had to save money and wait to buy the things I want.  It's caused me to learn new skills - everything from how to tile a floor in a diagonal pinwheel pattern to how to sew back tab curtains to how to cook a delicious chicken tikka masala.  It's caused me to get resourceful - like when I made baskets out of cardboard and fabric because I was too cheap to pay $18/ basket.  It's increased my creativity, spurred my desire to become a better photographer, and even motivated me to start my Etsy store (which hasn't necessarily been financially successful, but has been quite rewarding to have people buy things here and there and see the overall interest generated in the things I create).    


Being cheap is awesome, but there are times when I question if it's really worth it.  This week I was looking for decorations for Alex's room and I decided I wanted to paint some wooden letters that spell his name.  I almost had a heart attack when I saw the price: $3 - $4 PER letter. . . ok to a normal person this might seem like a good deal, but being the cheap person I am, I couldn't bring myself to spend $12+, even with the coupon.  "I bet we have some leftover MDF at home somewhere, I'll just cut out my own letters.  How hard can it be?"  Famous last words. . .As I was covered in sawdust five hours later I decided that perhaps $4 a letter may have been worth it.  But since I don't have a paying job, and I ended up spending a grand total of $0.50 for green craft paint, was it worth it?  Questionable. . . 

"Hi, my name is Amanda and I'm a cheapskate. . .it's now been 6 days since I let my cheapness addiction get the better of me." 

There's no doubt that cheapness can cross a line - just watch that reality tv show about the cheapest people on earth.  Thankfully I'm not to the point where I ask people at restaurants for their leftovers or make my own toilet paper, but I will admit sometimes I have a problem.  I let my cheapness get the better of me and it ends up costing time, money, and my sanity.  The last couple weeks I've been looking for curtains for Alex's new bedroom.  When I couldn't find anything except for the brown stripped curtain panels at Target for $25 each (which OF COURSE was too much!), I headed to the Home Fabrics store.  I found some brown canvas that matched perfectly; price - $6.99/yd, ok, not too bad.  But then, BUT THEN, lighter brown fabric, close enough match, $3/yd.  The other fabric was nicer, but my cheaper side won out and the $3 fabric was bought ($15 total on fabric).  Once I got home I got that sickening feeling that I knew I had made the wrong choice - the fabric was way too thin and was a little stretchy. . .but I had already spent the money, so I could make it work!  I ran to Walmart and purchased a queen-sized sheet ($11) to line the curtains with and some brown thread ($3).  I spent hours carefully washing, ironing, cutting, ironing, measuring, pinning, laying it all out, repinning and finally sewing so that the curtains would come out perfect.  I googled tutorials on how to make back tabs, which led to more cutting, ironing, and pinning.  The second I pulled out the thread I had bough, I realized I had accidentally picked up the wrong kind, but oh well, I've already spent the money, it will work!  The second I started sewing I realized I was wrong.  Back to Joanne's for more thread ($3).  Finally sewing!. . . It did not go well, the seams looked horrible.  "They just need to be ironed.  I've spent the money, I'll make it work."  More ironing, more laying out the curtains making sure the lining was smooth against the brown fabric, more pinning, more sewing.  A couple days later the curtains were finally finished and ta da!

Oh man . . . they look like crap!  I can't live with those!!  The brown doesn't match, they let in too much light, they don't hang well, they are all bunchy at the ends, I have no desire to try to fix them and honestly they might be unfixable.  So after $32, more hours than I want to count, and a couple curse words dropped along the way, I'm very tempted to just throw them away and go buy the $50 ones I originally liked at Target.

Being cheap can be a great thing, but beware my frugal friends, sometimes it can get the better of you.